no monday blues here

Dinner.  You've worked really hard and are hungry and it would be just so easy to grab something that comes in a bag.  But, there's something so satisfying about sitting down with homemade mushroom risotto* after a long day.  You actually wind up feeling more relaxed after having gone to the effort to treat yourself well with good food.  So, happy Monday, y'all.  This lil gal has been packing her heart out to get ready for moving to North Carolina.  What fun.

Bon appetit!
lilrevchef
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*I don't have a recipe I used, but risotto's like clockwork: pretty much the same every time and you can put whatever you want in it.  Mushrooms risotto is probably the most classic.  For step-by-step risotto recipes I've posted, go here.  

butternut bliss

Thanks for the picture, Williams-Sonoma.  Feel free to use one of mine.  Please?

You may be wearing your flannel pj's, drinking hot chocolate and watching leaves fall like rain outside, but until you've had roasted butternut squash risotto, you haven't really celebrated fall.  Dramatic, I know, but I love the stuff.  Let's continue celebrating fabulous fall, shall we?  My risotto recipe makes enough for about 4 people.  And remember, leftovers are your friend, and this risotto might just be your best friend. 

This picture's just to inspire you.  Because cutting up a butternut squash is not for the faint of heart (or dull of knife), so you're going to need all your courage.  Deep breath, here we go...

Let me walk you through how I do it.  Thank your butternut for contributing to a delicious autumnal feast.  Then, cut a bit off the top and bottom (so it's flat on the bottom and top) and cut crosswise in three large pieces.

Sit up each little section and use your knife to work your way down the sides and take the peel off.

You'll be left with three little stumpy guys.

Do whatever you like with these: make an autumn wreath out of them to show you've conquered the mighty butternut or...compost 'em.  It's up to you.

Now take the bottom third of the squash, cut in half and scoop out the seeds and that weird alien pumpkinish gooey stuff.

Slice each section into thick rounds, slice again to make little rectangles...

 and then cube them up.  You didn't expect this to be a basic math refresher, did you?

Now comes what takes those golden cubes to a whole new level: rosemary.  Woodsy (in a good way — not a 2x4 kind of way), fragrant, piney, yum.  Chop finely, because that delightful herb when roasted turns into little sharp sticks that are not so fun to swallow.  Trust me.  Tiny is better.

Toss that yummy butternut with salt, pepper, olive oil and the rosemary and roast at 400ºF/200ºC, stirring twice or so, for 25-30 minutes.  They're done when the squash is soft and starting to caramelize on the outside.

Like this.  I should warn you: at this point you will be tempted to just stand at the kitchen counter and pop these golden squares of goodness straight into your mouth, not even bothering with the risotto.  It's okay, I won't judge.  They are creamy, crunchy, divine.

If you somehow manage to resist eating all of the butternut squash, let's get going on the risotto.  (The best way to be sure you actually do complete this recipe is to, of course, roast the squash at the same time you're making the risotto.  I believe it's what people refer to as "multitasking.")  Chop one onion and three cloves of garlic.  Put 4 cups of low-sodium chicken stock in a saucepan and simmer on low.

Saute the onions in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan in a little olive oil and 1 T of butter with a dash of s&p, until soft.  Add the garlic and cook for another few minutes.

You need some of this fancy schmancy arborio rice.  It's Italian, short-grained (short is cool) and even Julia Child could't make decent risotto without it.

 Add 1 cup of rice and stir in the hot oil & butter for a few minutes until translucent.

(This is what it will look like.) 

 Ladle in (or cup measure in, I suppose) some of the chicken stock...

and stir, stir, stir, adding more stock as needed when the rice absorbs most of it.  It will take a little less than 20 minutes in total, until the rice is al dente, which is fancy  Italian lingo for good-n-done, but not soggy.

 In the meantime, grate about 1/2 cup of parmesan.

Remember those butternut bites of joy?  Like you could forget them!  Take about a fourth of them and stuff them all in your mouth at once blend in a food processor with about 1/4 cup of chicken stock.

 Beautiful, huh?

Stir the puree into the risotto and watch it change color from calm cream to outstanding orange.  Lovely.

Add in the rest of the butternut squash and the cheese and stir to combine.  Adjust salt and pepper if you need to.  The parm has some saltiness to it, so be sure to only adjust salt after adding that.

Enjoy this decadent taste of fall.  The butternut squash puree gives it a sublime creaminess and the rosemary adds the perfect hint of earthiness.  You'll love it, I promise.  And coming soon, I'll share my pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  Can you tell why fall is my favorite season?

Bon appetit!

lilrevchef

one last taste of summer

Spring Pea Risotto with Poached Egg and Basil

Summertime is blissful: long lazy nights, dips in the ocean, guilt-free monstrous consumption of Blue Bell ice cream, air conditioning.  But don't tell summer, fall's my favorite season: cooler temperatures that make walks outside bearable, hearty food, cinnamon in my coffee, that scent in the air, curling up with a wee cuppa.  Before that autumnal elation begins, I thought I'd have one last hurrah to summer with this risotto.  I adore risotto (and once butternut squash starts appearing, you'll have my favorite risotto recipe).  Risotto tends to intimidate folks, but it's really not difficult.  And there's something cathartic about the process of making it, stirring it gently until it turns creamy and tossing in whatever strikes your fancy.  

Finely chop one onion and two cloves of garlic.  Risotto always begins with onion and garlic, sauteed in olive oil and butter (just 1 tablespoon) in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan.  As always, season the onions and garlic with a little s&p.


You can't make risotto with any old rice: you'll need Arborio rice.  You can find it in any grocery store.  It's Italian short-grained rice (because short things are wonderful).  Something about that growth-challenged grain becomes creamy and decadent when stirred with warm chicken stock.  You'll love it.  I used one cup of arborio rice: it makes four servings.

Take one carton (16 oz. I think) of chicken stock and heat in a deep saucepan until gently simmering.  You'll want it to keep simmering while making risotto, so it's nice and warm when you add it a bit at a time.  I recommend low-sodium so you can control how salty it is.

After cooking the onions and garlic for a few minutes, add the rice and cook on medium-low for a few minutes until the rice turns translucent.  At this point you can add 1/3 cup of white wine and let it reduce for a couple of minutes.  All I had was red wine, and though it would taste good, I didn't fancy pink risotto so I didn't add any.  

 Add chicken stock by the ladleful (or using a measuring cup like I did) and stir until almost all of the liquid is absorbed.

It'll look like this when it's ready for more stock.  Keep adding stock and stirring so it doesn't stick, until the rice is al dente and creamy, about 20 minutes.  I know this seems like a long time to stand by a pot stirring it, but in our non-stop society, a bit of a slowdown isn't a bad thing.  Risotto as counter-cultural act!  (Okay, perhaps not, but it's just delicious.)

Here's how it looks when it's done.  Now you get to add all sorts of wonderful things:

 

I added fresh basil,

frozen petite garden peas (note that taking a picture while pouring in peas leads to a proliferous pea situation, which I don't mind),

freshly grated parmesan, one tablespoon of butter and the zest of one lemon.  Stir together and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Now onto that delicate little poached egg to top your summery risotto.  Fill a deep pan with water, add a splash of vinegar and bring to a boil.

 Crack an egg into a cup (or that handy cup measure of mine)...

...and place it in the boiling water by quickly turning the cup measure over with a flick of your wrist.  The quick motion of the egg hitting the water will help the whites envelop the yolk and the vinegar (which you won't taste) will keep it from falling apart.  For a soft-poached egg, cook for 4 minutes.

 Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

Top that resplendent risotto with the egg and a little cracked pepper.

Break open the yolk and enjoy a creamy, fresh taste of summer.  Fall's on its way!

Bon appetit!
lilrevchef